Dogwood...this photo comes from http://www.lisaannhammond.com/inspiration/page4.html
Check out her site and read the legend of the dogwood.
Legend has it that at the time of Jesus, the crosses were made of dogwood, and they haven't grown large enough to make a cross to nail a man to since then. If you look at the petals, you see 2 short petals and 2 longer petals, these symbolize the cross Jesus was nailed to. Now look even closer...see all the red spots on the white petals, and the tip of each petal has 1 large red spot? The single spot signifies each nail used to hang Jesus to the cross. The spots represent the blood from Jesus wounds.The yellow center is for the crown of thorns placed on Jesus head.
Passion Flower
down here we also call this May Pop, but I prefer Passion Flower. This oddly beautiful blossom has a wonderful legend behind it. It's called Passion because it stands for Jesus' suffering "The Passion of Christ".. almost every part of this plant has some religious significance....the 10 Apostles-minus Judas who betrayed him and Peter who denied him, the 30 pieces of silver, the Holy Trinity..I highly recommend reading the legend of the Passion Flower here at http://www.radiantlifekeithville.com/legend.html , you'll be amazed
The Cherokee Rose.. legend says that when the Trail of Tears started, the Cherokee mothers were crying so hard that they were unable to help their children survive the long trek. The elders prayed for a sign to lift the mother's spirits,and the next day they found white roses where the mother's tears fell. The white is for their tears, and the gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands. The 7 petals stand for the 7 clans of the Cherokee. This is a very common rose around here and still grows along the Trail of Tears.
Let's not leave the Catfish out...
Have you heard of this legend before? this is the saltwater catfish; I first heard of this when I was just a little girl wandering the streets of the city on my own. I guess I was about 11 years old and I'd walked to the beach in Gulfport. This boat had been washed up onshore, and it stayed right where the sea left it, and was turned into a souvenir shop. They named it the SS Camille after the hurricane that destroyed the Gulf Coast in 1969. Inside were all these beautiful shells and postcards, and the one that caught my eye was The Legend of the Catfish. Now, I'd found dozens and dozens of these dried skeletons all along the beach but never knew this story. If you look closely at it, the first thing you see is Jesus hanging on the cross. Now look at the whole skeleton and you'll see it resembles a sword, the sword that was plunged into Jesus side as he hung nailed to the cross. Turning it over, you'll see the Roman shield. When you shake it, you'll hear the dice the soldiers gambled with at the feet of Jesus to see who would win His Robe. Legend says when you hear the dice shake, you'll be blessed.
The Sand Dollar..
I don't find these on our beaches, but they're thousands of them here in the shops along the Gulf of Mexico.
See the 4 holes in the top, representing nails, the 5th hole the soldier's spear. Look at that star in the center...representing the Star of Bethlehem that appeared to the shepherds and led them to the manger. The entire image on the front here represents the Easter Lily; the sign of the Resurrection. On the back is a Christmas Poinsettia, signifying Jesus' birth; and a bell. The gift of the Holy Spirit will be shown to you if you break the sand dollar open. Inside are 5 white doves that spread peace and goodwill. Here are some other photos, you'll see the back side of the dried sand dollar. See the hole in the back center? Stick a pin in there to gently break it open to let the 5 doves out.
Spanish Moss... legend says a pirate Gorez Goz wanted to take an Indian Princess, but she ran away from him. He chased after her and was getting closer, so she climbed a tree and dove into the river rather than be captured by Gorez Goz. As he reached the river his beard got caught on the branches of a tree, and the Indian Princess escaped. But Gorez Goz remains trapped in the branches forever by his long gray beard.
One last story, this one about The Singing River in Pascagoula. Legend says that rather than become slaves to the Biloxi tribe of Indians, the Pascagoula tribe held hands and chanted as they waded into the river and drowned. To this day, if you listen on a quiet evening, you can hear them chanting and singing.
1 comment:
Thank for all that info. The only story that I heard was about the passion flower. I really enjoyed reading about all of them. You are just full of information. (lol)
Cindy (tinta)
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